Quincy man accused of killing wife with car has history of crashes

A Quincy man accused of running over his wife and another relative Monday morning has a long history of traffic violations and crashes – including one in which his wife had to be freed from a car in August, prosecutors said.

By Neal Simpson

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By Neal Simpson

Posted Nov. 20, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 20, 2012 at 8:11 PM

By Neal Simpson

Posted Nov. 20, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 20, 2012 at 8:11 PM

QUINCY

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A Quincy man accused of running over his wife and another relative Monday morning has a long history of traffic violations and crashes – including one in which his wife had to be freed from a car in August, prosecutors said.

Michael Rivard, 48, was arraigned Monday afternoon on charges of motor-vehicle homicide by negligent operation, impeded driving and driving with a revoked license. Quincy District Court Judge Mark Coven revoked Rivard’s bail in the August case and set bail in the new case at $10,000 cash.

The crash Monday morning killed Rivard’s wife, Beatrice Rivard, 67, and left another relative in critical condition, police said. The injured relative was identified as the couple’s adult son with “special needs” by Rivard’s defense attorney, Raffi Yessayan.

Rivard was led into court in handcuffs and immediately pulled the hood of his blue sweatshirt over his face. As a prosecutor described Monday’s crash and Rivard’s criminal history, Rivard leaned forward and rested his head on the bar in front of him.

Rivard’s record at the Registry of Motor Vehicles shows a history of traffic violations, crashes and license suspensions going back to 1987. He has had four crashes since June 2011 – not including Monday’s – and his license was indefinitely suspended several times, most recently in June.

At Rivard’s arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Debi Curley said Rivard was arrested in August after he crashed into a telephone pole and damaged his car so badly that crews had to extricate his wife from the vehicle. Curley said police reported that Michael Rivard was foaming at the mouth and gave officers conflicting information about the medications he had taken.

Curley said Rivard had an open case for driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car Monday morning. Curley said Beatrice Rivard and Rivard’s son, whom authorities have not named, were walking around the corner from Sea Street to the front of their house on Wall Street when Rivard’s Lincoln shot onto the sidewalk, rolled over his wife and son, snapped a utility pole and knocked over part of a wooden fence.

When police arrived, Rivard told an officer that he had tried to hit the brake when the car started to move forward on its own but accidentally hit the accelerator instead, Curley said. The prosecutor said Rivard told the officer, “I can’t believe I just ran them over.”

Rivard later told another officer that he had been in the passenger seat at the time of the crash, Curley said.

David Traub, a spokesman for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, said another family member had been in the car with Rivard at the time.

Traub could not confirm that the man injured was Rivard’s son, but neighbors identified him as Michael Rivard Jr.

Page 2 of 2 - On Houghs Neck on Monday afternoon, neighbors described a chaotic scene that morning as first responders tried to free Beatrice Rivard from under the car. Branden Bergstrom, a Wall Street resident, said he rushed home from a nearby auto shop when he got a call from his sister and used his hydraulic jack to help firefighters lift the car.

Bergstrom said Rivard’s son, whom he identified as Michael Rivard Jr., was lying on the sidewalk screaming about his back while Beatrice Rivard was pinned face down under the car.

“Picture the worst thing that could happen to someone,” Bergstrom said. “That’s what happened.”

Bergstrom said Rivard and Michael Jr. were known around the neighborhood as “Big Mike” and “Little Mike.”

Jayde Pollock, a neighbor who lives on nearby Bell Street, said the son was often seen walking the elder Rivard’s dog around the neighborhood. “He’s such a good kid,” she said.

According to their marriage certificate in the Quincy clerk’s office, Michael and Beatrice Rivard married in 1982 when Beatrice was 37 and Michael was 18.

Yessayan, Rivard’s defense attorney, asked Judge Coven to release his client on his promise to return to court, saying Rivard was “devastated” by what he called “a tragic accident.”

“As a result of this accident, he lost his wife of 31 years, his special-needs son is in the hospital in critical condition,” Yessayan said. “He wants to be able to bury his wife.”

Rivard is due back in court Dec. 14.

Lane Lambert and Jack Encarnacao contributed to this report. Neal Simpson may be reached at nesimpson@ledger.com.